Common centre services
Most of our member centres deliver the following longer-term specialist services. Click on the buttons to find out more.
-
Counselling
Free one-to-one counselling for victims and survivors of all forms of sexual violence and abuse.
-
Independent Sexual Violence Advocates (ISVAs)
Free support for victims and survivors who want to report – or are thinking about reporting – to the police. Please note that ISVAs are sometimes referred to as Independent Sexual Violence Advisers.
About our member centres
Rape Crisis England & Wales is the membership organisation for 37 Rape Crisis centres in England and Wales.
All of our member centres deliver free, local and specialist services to women who have experienced any form of sexual violence or abuse. Many also support other people affected by sexual violence and abuse.
To become a member of Rape Crisis England & Wales, centres have to prove that they meet our 2024 Rape Crisis National Service Standards (RCNSS). However, all of our member centres are independent organisations and make their own decisions.
The RCNSS is a set of specialist quality standards, which help to make sure that victims and survivors receive consistent and high-quality services from any of our member centres.
As part of this, centres must respond to the diverse needs of survivors and work towards making sure that services are relevant, accessible and survivor-led.
Why contact a Rape Crisis centre?
In the video below, Magdalena Sek, centre coordinator at Leicester Rape Crisis, explains why contacting your local Rape Crisis centre could be an important step in helping you to find support.
Who can access support from a Rape Crisis centre?
All of our member Rape Crisis centres provide support for women affected by all forms of sexual violence and abuse, not just rape.
This includes women who:
- Have recently experienced sexual abuse, rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment or another form of sexual violence.
- Experienced sexual abuse, rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment or another form of sexual violence either years or decades ago.
- Are adult victims or survivors of child sexual abuse (including child rape).
- Have been sexually exploited at any point in their life.
- Are thinking about reporting something to the police (whether it happened recently or a long time ago).
- Don’t want to report anything to the police.
- Aren’t sure how to talk about what happened to them.
Please know that this list isn’t complete – if your experience of sexual violence or abuse doesn’t fit with this list, we are still here for you.
Support for other people
Most of our member centres also deliver services to young women and girls who have experienced any form of sexual violence or abuse.
In addition, a large number of our member centres provide support for other people who have experienced any form of sexual violence or abuse, or people who have been affected by it (such as family members).
To find out who can access services at each centre, please visit our 'Find a Rape Crisis centre' page and click 'See more' on any centre listed.
What services are offered by Rape Crisis centres?
Counselling
Most of our member Rape Crisis centres offer free one-to-one counselling to victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, rape, sexual assault or any other form of sexual violence or abuse.
Some also provide free counselling to the family members of victims and survivors.
Find out more about counselling
Independent Sexual Violence Advocates (ISVAs)
Most Rape Crisis centres provide specialist support for victims and survivors who want to report – or are thinking about reporting – to the police.
The Rape Crisis workers who carry out this support are called Independent Sexual Violence Advocates (ISVAs). They are sometimes also referred to as Independent Sexual Violence Advisers or advocacy workers.
Helplines
Rape Crisis England & Wales runs the national 24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line. This is a free phone and online chat service for anyone aged 16+ who has been affected by sexual violence, abuse or harassment of any kind.
Some of our member centres also offer helplines that provide free emotional support by phone, online chat or email.
To find out if your local centre offers a helpline, please check its website. The websites of all our member centres are listed on our 'Find a Rape Crisis centre' page.
Other services
Many of our centres provide other types of support and therapy. These could include art therapy, EMDR therapy, mindfulness, practical support or emotional support.
These might take place in one-to-one sessions or in a group.
Please get in touch with your local centre to find out more.